


Levi Schmitt and the Case of the Random Messager

by mansikka



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Bullying, Chatting & Messaging, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-23
Updated: 2019-05-23
Packaged: 2020-03-13 03:42:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18932692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mansikka/pseuds/mansikka
Summary: Levi starts getting random hateful messages.





	Levi Schmitt and the Case of the Random Messager

The messages started on a Thursday afternoon. Levi rubbed his eyes, already tired for being twelve hours into a sixteen-hour shift, sure he must have misread.

 _I don't like you_.

Sliding the message open, Levi stared at the AN as the sender of the message, then decided the message was a mistake meant for another person. He didn't have time for such silliness anyway. He had four patients he was overdue checking up on for how crazy the day had been so far, had barely tasted his lunch for how quickly he ate it, and currently couldn't even picture the end of his day.

Levi sent a quick message to Nico teasing that he'd earned a good dinner and maybe even a massage for his long, long day at work. He should have switched his shifts to take the day off with him, instead of caving in to cover at the last minute. At least Nico would be waiting for him when he finally got home, and they had most of the evening together to themselves.

After pocketing his phone Levi swallowed back the tepid, bitter coffee purchased from the vending machine with a grimace, promising himself a better cup the next time he had five minutes to spare. He rolled his neck, made a mental note of which patients he should see and in what order, taking one step towards the first curtain when the telltale sign of an emergency came blaring down the hall. Levi threw his cup into the nearest trash and rolled his neck, charging down the hall to see what he could do to help.

* * *

_You're pathetic._

Levi laughed and frowned at his phone as he checked it before rolling up his sleeves to do the dishes, clicking on the contact details of his mystery messager and finding nothing. He'd only installed Telegram a week ago after reading an article about security, and privacy, and something to do with unrivaled end-to-end encryption. Aside from Nico being his willing guinea pig with it and a couple of exchanges with Taryn, he'd barely used it. Whoever this stranger was clearly either had the wrong number, or far too much time on their hands.

"You okay?"

Levi leaned back against Nico as his arms slipped around his waist, smiling for the kiss into his neck. "Yes."

"You're exhausted," Nico said, pressing another kiss into his neck and squeezing him. "Why don't you go take a shower? I'll do these."

"You cooked."

"I did," Nico agreed, trapping Levi's thumb beneath his own when Levi covered his hands. "I also didn't work today. I didn't get out of bed until _nine_."

"That sounds so good," Levi said with a groan, nudging so he could spin in his arms. He felt like he could sleep for a week, and it was three more days before his own day off.

"So. Go shower. Sit down. _Rest_. We can go to bed, if you want."

"No. No, it's okay. I'll be awake after a shower. I feel like I haven't seen you in, well. Hours."

"Okay," Nico said, smiling as Levi looked up and rested his hands on his shoulders. "Maybe we can watch something."

"Sounds good."

"Which means you'll fall asleep on me."

"I will _not_."

"I don't mind if you do. Just means I'll have to carry you to bed."

Levi grinned for the reminder of the last time he'd fallen asleep on Nico on the couch, waking disoriented and tucked up in bed. He stretched up to kiss him, dropping his head as a yawn burst from him, and sinking into Nico's embrace.

"Do I need to come shower with you to keep you upright?"

"You do _not_ ," Levi replied. "I smell of _hospital_."

Nico smiled, dropping a kiss on his cheek and letting go only when Levi wriggled to move.

* * *

_Why do you even bother? No one thinks you're good enough._

_Ignore me all you want, I'm not going anywhere. Someone needs to let you know you're a waste of oxygen._

_Seriously. Why are you even still here?_

Levi closed his eyes again, turning to press a kiss to Nico's shoulder. It was far too early to be forced to read anything, let alone the random ravings of a person he didn't even know. He'd only picked up his phone to check the time, thankful that he had another half hour before needing to get up. Though as he wriggled back into Nico's arms and nuzzled against his sternum, Levi began to think about who his anonymous messager might be.

There was no one at the hospital he could think of who would be that childish. And it had been years since he'd seen such silly behavior in any of the servers he still used on Discord for DnD. It had been a decade since he'd decided bullies would never dictate a thing about him. What idiotic waste of space out there in the world would think he would care now?

Doing his best not to wake Nico, Levi reached out for his phone again, blocking the number.

"Everything okay?" Nico asked, croaky, and sleepy, and _beautiful_ , Levi thought. As always. He snuggled back down in his arms with a contented sigh and closed his eyes.

"Everything is great."

* * *

_Loser._

_Idiot._

_Boring._

_Have you looked in the mirror lately? I bet you make yourself throw up._

_You're not wanted here. Or anywhere. Seriously; why are you still breathing?_

_Why don't you just do us all a favor and quit existing?_

_Dick._

Levi read the messages in quick succession before deleting them all, and blocking what was the fourth contact in a week. Since that first message he'd counted 54 unsolicited anonymous messages. Not that he was keeping track.

Since it was a rare late morning in for him, Levi stretched and snuggled back beneath the comforter, sending a quick message to Nico already at work. At least he'd get to see him briefly, Levi thought with a smile for their lunch date. Though as he thought of the two places nearest to the hospital that Nico liked the most, his phone vibrated with yet another message.

_You think blocking me's gonna stop anything? Stupid fuck. You need to know how pathetic you are. You need me to keep telling you till you actually take notice._

_"You know anonymous hate is illegal, right?"_ Levi typed back responding for the very first time, and adding, _"What do you think this is, Tumblr, or something?"_

_Like you can do anything about it. Like you'd survive five minutes on Tumblr. No one wants you anywhere, why would they want you on there?_

Levi snorted with laughter, almost charmed by this stranger thinking he would be concerned. He blocked yet another contact, switched his phone to silent, and went back to sleep without a care in the world.

* * *

"I'm sorry I'm late."

Levi turned his face up for Nico's apologetic kisses over it, smiling and waving for him to sit. "Busy morning?"

"Insane," Nico agreed, taking a slurp of Levi's coffee before launching into a description of all he'd done so far at work. Without saying a word Levi pushed his remaining half sandwich over to Nico, waiting for him to finish it in quick bites before going up to order something for him.

"At least you get to try out that new saw you've been coveting for a week now," he teased.

"I was not _coveting_."

"Nico. You were describing all its features and its uses to me at four in the morning. In great detail. Demonstrating on my _stomach_."

"...it's an incredible instrument," Nico replied in defense. Levi beamed across the table at him before standing, and bending down for a kiss.

"What do you feel like?"

"What was that?" Nico asked, waving at Levi's now-empty plate.

"It _was_ a chicken club."

"Think we can get another with extra bacon?"

"You want to share one, or—"

"Maybe one each?" Nico said, pulling Levi until he was slotting between his legs.

"I'll get my second half wrapped to eat later," Levi said, smiling for the hands creeping up the backs of his thighs.

"Maybe some chips?"

"Okay."

"And those… this is the place with those yogurt things, right?"

"It is."

"One of those too? And coffee?" Nico said with a hopeful smile, smacking a kiss of gratitude to Levi's chest when he nodded.

Levi squeezed Nico's shoulder in passing as he went to order, watching him from across the cafe as he waited after paying. Nico checked through his phone, smiling presumably at a message Levi had sent him when he'd arrived here. Just outside the doorway had been an old, grumpy-looking poodle sat waiting for their owner, who had instantly grabbed Levi's attention. Levi watched Nico stretch to look out for the poodle before turning to Nico with a pouting smile for it being gone.

As Nico looked back down at his phone something grabbed his attention again. Levi watched him look across the table and realized he'd left his phone there with him. Levi shook his head when Nico lifted and raised the phone to show him, sure he must have missed a message from his mother. Though when he returned with their lunch and he picked up the phone, the only message waiting was from his anonymous _friend_.

"This is getting ridiculous."

"What is?"

Levi reread the, _"Just end yourself. Seriously. Fuck off,"_ then handed the phone to Nico, watching as he scrolled through the messages he'd yet to delete from that morning. He watched Nico's eyes narrow and a furious scowl begin to form on his face as he carefully arranged their food.

"What the fuck is this?"

"I've been getting them all week," Levi said, cutting the half of his sandwich that wasn't wrapped, and sucking a spill of sauce from his thumb.

"Well, who is it?" Nico demanded, glaring at Levi's phone.

"I have no idea," Levi replied, shrugging. "I keep deleting the messages, and blocking the contact. But they keep coming back."

"Is this that Telegram thing you downloaded?"

"It is."

Nico swore under his breath in Korean, and Italian, and probably several other languages as well. Which was his _right_. "Are you using it much besides this?"

"Not really."

"Then delete it."

"Doesn't that say that they've won, or something?"

"So?" Nico said, tapping at the screen without looking up. "Who cares what some random person has to say to you anyway?"

"Oh. Believe me, I don't care."

"Well. I've reported all these ones as spam. Maybe they'll take the hint when they can't send messages anymore."

"I've not been cyberbullied since I was a kid," Levi said as Nico gave his phone a final scowl before sliding it back across the table to him. "It's… hilarious, really, how big of a deal it was back then. Now, I couldn't care less."

"Give me names."

"We were _kids_."

Nico grit his teeth but nodded, belatedly cutting his own sandwich and taking a bite, chewing in thought. "I was bullied too, when I was really small."

Levi's stomach rolled in protest. "How small?"

"Seven. Maybe eight?"

All Levi could picture was the sweet, smiling little boy that Nico's mother had repeatedly shown him in every photograph in her possession. Levi wanted to break something.

"Give me names. I'll give you kneecaps."

Nico ducked his head, though not quick enough for Levi not to see his smile. "We were _kids_."

"That's not the point."

"Oh. And what _is_ the point?" Nico fired back at him, grinning in delight.

"They can do it to me. Or they _have_ done it to me. I don't want them doing it to you. Or _to_ have done it. You know what I mean."

Nico's smile softened into something adoring as he reached across the table to squeeze his hand. "You really are—"

Levi's phone buzzed again, only this time it was obviously a call. His stomach gripped in hesitation, hoping his random messager hadn't taken the next step to contact him. He watched with a protest dying on his lips as Nico glared at the phone and snatched it up. That glare dropped away immediately to be replaced by a softer, almost polite smile.

"Mrs. Schmitt. Hello, it's nice to hear from you," Nico said, answering Levi's phone for him with a wink. "No. Levi's fine. He's here, he'd just taken a bite of his sandwich is all, so I answered for him. Tomorrow? Hold on, I'll check."

"What is it?" Levi asked, squeezing Nico's hand as he reached out again.

"What time do you finish tomorrow?"

"Six."

"Perfect," Nico said. "Mrs. Schmitt. Levi finishes at six, and I'll be finished by seven. Eight, then? Thank you. It'll be nice to see you too. Do you want Levi? Okay. Okay I'll tell him. Okay, thank you. Bye."

"What was that?" Levi asked as Nico slid his phone back to him, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Your mom wants us to have dinner with her tomorrow night."

"At eight o'clock?" Levi asked, smiling for the ease with which Nico spoke to his mother these days. Though it had been hilarious in the beginning for seeing a usually-confident Nico look more like a slightly startled deer in headlights. He'd been the same with Nico's parents, and had enjoyed both being teased for it and getting to tease.

"Well. You haven't been home in a week—to hers, I mean. We saw my parents last weekend. It's her turn."

"You know when we eventually have kids, she'll… draw up some kind of rota system, right?"

Nico dropped his head forward again, laughing enough for his shoulders to shake. "Well. She can take that up with my mom when it happens. We'll just… do as we're told."

"It's the only way."

"It is," Nico agreed, sighing in relief around a bite of his sandwich, showing just how hungry he was. "Hey. What do you think your mom would have to say about your stalker?"

" _My_ mom?" Levi said, horrified at the thought and absently reaching out to straighten up his phone. "I think she'd… try to find the address of Telegram's CEO to complain in person."

Nico laughed again, nodding in agreement as though he could picture the same thing himself. "Well. If they message again, I'll deal with it."

"You don't need—"

"I do. And I will."

Levi smiled for the determined sincerity in Nico's voice, trapped his knee between his own beneath the table, and went back to eating with a contented hum.


End file.
